The Fairmont San Felipe is one of the newest luxury apartment communities pre-leasing apartment units in the Houston Galleria area.  This new complex is located near the intersection of San Felipe and Voss, almost directly across from  Gables 6464 San Felipe.  If you drive by you will notice the apartment community is still under construction.  The leasing office is still operating in a T-Shack.  The Fairmont San Felipe apartments will boast 359 total units and water will be included in the rental amount. The complex will showcase an internet library, a club house with wine storage, a two story fitness center, and much more.  The location is ideal as the Houston Galleria mall is within minutes of driving distance and the property has great access to theInterstate 10 and the 610 Loop.

Interiors will boast a myriad of amenities and unique features.  Renters will discover cherry style hardwood flooring and 10 foot ceilings inside the units.  Gourmet kitchens will showcase granite islands and counters with polished tavertine back splashes.   The bathrooms also boast granite counter-tops and over-sized roman soaking tubs.  Of course all units will contain a full size washer and dryer for your convenience.

One bedroom apartment homes will start out near $1055 for 609 square feet for one bedrooms and 2/2’s will begin near $1600 for 1062 square feet. Now based on the apartment construction we expect the community to offer some sort of rental incentive.  The Fairmont Museum District, a sister property, offers up to 2 months free in the museum district.  Based ont their pre-leases we should know pretty soon.

Many times when I am speaking to potential customers on the phone I hear a reference to apartmentratings.com. For those of you who are not aware of the site; it allows users to register and login. From here anyone can leave a review of a particular website. There are three main points we can learn from regarding this site.

1) Anyone can register and an leave a review. We don’t know if they really are or were a resident of the apartment. Managers or leasing agents can leave a nasty review of an apartment they may be competing with.  It amazes me how many people rely on this site to make an informed decision.

2) If you have ever purchased a product you expect it to work correctly. If the product malfunctions you are more likely to become incensed. This may result in you contacting the company who sold you the goods or letting the world know how you were personally taken advantage of.  Almost all of the reviews on apartmentratings are negative reviews.  Can it be possible that over 90% of all properties operate inefficiently and anger their tenants.  I am not saying that a certain percentage of these complaints are not accurate. However, many of them are silly at best.  I have read reviews about one particular apartment community that reflects just this.  The resident was angry the street that provided access to the community was always crowded and the resident had difficulty leaving the property.  Other residents are angry that a particular leasing agent did not treat them with respect or take care of their personal needs.  The apartmentratings site is basically a blog. Anyone can post any message about any community. Read them at your own risk.

3) Not many people know that apartmentratings.com is a lead generation site.  They would like you to leave your information on the site so they can sell your lead to a local real estate agent who will contact you. And I bet they send you to a property has a negative review too.

One Park Place is the newest Finger’s property located in Downtown Houston off McKinney St.  Pricing is not cheap for one bedroom apartment homes.  One bedrooms start at $1700 for 800 square feet.  Downtown rentals fetch some of the highest rates in the entire city of Houston.  If these rates are not reduced renters will be paying over $2 per square foot when the community opens its doors.  And with the current decline in the economy One Park Place my further reduce their rents and increase their specials when the property opens. However, most of the new properties offer some sort of special, usually up too two months free.  This high rise will most definitely offer some astonishing views of the city, and residents who desire an upscale facility will shell out the money to live in luxury.  The largest floor-plans may even command the largest rental rates of any property in the Houston area.

Amenities include a 24 hour valet service, gourmet kitchens, a juice bar, Wifi in all common areas, a walking track, and a resort style swimming pool with a cascading waterfall. The location is second to none. Residents can walk to professional sporting events, concerts, the symphony, and other places of interest.  Across the street from the property is a 12 acre park which provides residents with a place to relax and even walk their pets.

Houston Lofts have become extremely popular in the Houston area today.  Several new lofts have been popping up outside of the downtown area.  However, most lofts and lofts apartments will be located in an urban area with lots of entertainment in the immediate area. Lofts at The Ball Park is an example of this sort of loft. It is located just east of Minute Maid Park.  The Astros play 81 home games every year.  Examples of entertainment in the area include Vic and Anthony’s Steakhouse and several bars including the BUS.  Alexan Lofts is also in the area but it may be a 15 minute walk or so.  You will also have to pass by many homeless individuals and this seems very unappetizing to many renters.  Two newer lofts have just recently opened their doors and we are very interested in seeing how they do.  Although lofts have gained in popularity we would like to see if individuals who living outside of of the major take a liken to them.  Briar Forest Lofts are situated off Eldridge in west Houston. Of course they will have all the amenities a loft property should. Hardwood flooring, spiraled exposed duct work, granite counters, and upgraded appliances will all be included. We know that they have been offering great move in specials with up to 2 months free to their renters.  These sorts of large incentives have been disapearing from many newer apartments in the inner loop sections of Houston.  And with this loft property located outside of the urban area only time will tell how well it does